1st Alaska State Legislature

The 1st Alaska State Legislature served during 1959 and 1960. All of its members were elected on November 25, 1958, when Alaska was in its last days as a territory.

Terms

The Alaska Constitution established that legislative terms begin on the fourth Monday in January following an election year, and that the date may be changed by statute. This legislature passed Senate Bill 70 in the first session, which placed the date into statute but did not actually change it.

  • All terms began on January 26, 1959
  • All terms of representatives, and of those senators serving short terms, expired on January 22, 1961
  • All terms of senators serving long terms expired on January 27, 1963

Sessions

  • 1st session: January 26, 1959 – April 16, 1959
  • 2nd session: January 25, 1960 – March 29, 1960

Alaska Senate

Make-up

Affiliation Members
Democratic Party 18
Republican Party 2
 Total 20
 Government Majority 16

Members

DistrictNamePartyLocation
AJames Nolan DemWrangell
Frank Peratrovich DemKlawock
BWalter O. "Bo" Smith DemKetchikan
CHoward C. Bradshaw DemSitka
DThomas B. Stewart DemJuneau
ERalph E. Moody[1] DemAnchorage
Irene E. Ryan DemAnchorage
FBalfour J. "Bob" Logan DemCordova
GJoseph Earl Cooper[2] DemAnchorage
HIrwin L. Metcalf DemSeward
IAlfred A. Owen DemUganik Bay
JGeorge B. McNabb, Jr. DemFairbanks
Robert J. McNealy DemFairbanks
KJack E. Weise RepBethel
LJohn B. Coghill RepNenana
MHubert A. Gilbert[3] DemFairbanks
NWilliam E. Beltz DemUnalakleet[4]
Lester Bronson DemNome
OEben Hopson DemBarrow
PJohn A. McNees DemNome

Leadership

  • Senate President: William E. Beltz (D-Unalakleet)

Alaska House of Representatives

Make-up

Affiliation Members
Democratic Party 34
Republican Party 5
Independent 1
 Total 40
 Government Majority 28

Members

DistrictNamePartyLocation
1Charles M. Jones DemCraig
2Oral E. Freeman DemKetchikan
James R. "J. Ray" Roady DemKetchikan
3John E. Longworth RepPetersburg
4Frank E. Cashel DemSitka
Andrew Hope DemSitka
5Douglas Gray DemDouglas
Dora M. Sweeney DemJuneau
6Morgan W. Reed DemSkagway
7Harold Z. Hansen DemCordova
8Bruce Kendall RepValdez
9James J. Hurley DemPalmer
10Helen M. Fischer DemAnchorage
James E. Fisher DemAnchorage
John S. Hellenthal DemAnchorage
Earl D. Hillstrand DemAnchorage
Peter J. Kalamarides DemAnchorage
Edward R. "Russ" Meekins DemAnchorage
James E. Norene DemAnchorage
John L. Rader[5] DemAnchorage
11William M. Erwin DemSeward
12Allan L. Petersen DemKenai[6]
13Peter M. Deveau DemKodiak
Henry L. Haag DemKodiak
14Charles J. Franz DemPort Moller
15Jay S. Hammond IndNaknek
16James Hoffman RepBethel
17Donald Harris RepMcGrath
18Grant H. Pearson DemMcKinley Park
19Frank X. Chapados DemFairbanks
Joseph R. "Bob" Giersdorf[7] DemFairbanks
Richard J. Greuel DemFairbanks
Robert E. Sheldon DemFairbanks
Warren A. Taylor DemFairbanks
20R.S. McCombe DemChicken
21John Nusunginya DemPoint Barrow
22John E. Curtis RepKotzebue
23Robert R. Blodgett DemNome
Charles E. Fagerstrom DemNome
24Axel C. Johnson DemKwiguk

Leadership

  • Speaker of the House: Warren A. Taylor (D-Fairbanks)

See also

Notes

  1. Resigned in 1960, following the end of sessions, to accept appointment as attorney general
  2. Appointed to the Alaska Superior Court between sessions. Seaborn J. Buckalew, Jr. (D) was appointed to his seat for the second session.
  3. Appointed to the Alaska Superior Court between sessions. Rep. Bob Giersdorf (D) was appointed to his seat January 29, 1960. Giersdorf, who was born on February 24, 1935, was short of the constitutionally-established minimum age, and resigned the seat. Edmund N. Orbeck (D), who was appointed to Giersdorf's House seat, replaced him.
  4. Died on November 21, 1960, after the end of sessions but before the expiration of his term.
  5. Appointed state attorney general between sessions. Blanche L. McSmith (D) was appointed to his seat for the second session.
  6. Petersen, Jettie. Once Upon The Kenai, page 269-70 Kenai Historical Society, Alaska, 1984
  7. Appointed January 29, 1960, to replace outgoing Sen. Hubert Gilbert for the second session, but re-assumed his old seat February 2, 1960. Edmund N. Orbeck (D) filled his House seat in the interim.

Photos of individual and assembled members of the 1st Alaska State Legislature, as hosted at Alaska's Digital Archives

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